Electric gas-lighter



(No Model.)

J. H. LEHMAN. ELEGTRG GAS LIGHTER. No. 403,944. Patented May 28, 18.89.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HUFTY LEIIMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,944, dated May 28, 1889. Application led August 1S, 1888. Serial No. 282,574. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HUETY LEHMAN, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Gas- Lighters, of which the following is a fn ll, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to electric gas-lighters, and has for its object to providealighter that can be operated eitherbya pendent attachment at the burner-tip or automatically from a distance-as by the pressure of a button; and it consists in. the construction and combination of parts,substantially as hereinafter described, whereby this result is produced.

Referring to the accompanying' drawings, forming' part of this specification, Figure l is a side view, with parts in section, of one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front view, and Eig'. is an enlarged detail.

The burner consists of a suitable basepiece, A, of any desired shape, and in the under side is the usual tapped opening adapted to be applied to the ordinary gas-pipe fixture. Rising from the center of this base-piece is the hollow tube or neck A', into the end of which is fitted the ordinary lava or other tip, a', in the usual manner. Properly fitted into a tapered socket in the neck A' is a similarly shaped plug, D, having` one or more perforations or passages through the saine, and serving as a cock or valve for regula-ting the flow of gas, and this plug` is held in place so as to secure a suitable bearing and yet be turned freely by a spring, d, which. exerts a constant pressure thereon.

While I have thus described one form of a gasburner, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit inyinvention to the specific construction set forth, as the parts which I am about to describe may be applied to other forms of burners.

Attached to the base-piece A is an electromagnet, the coils B of which are connected in the operating-circuit. Above this magnet is situated the armature C, which in the present instance surrounds the neck or tube A', one

\end of which armature is pivoted in a support, C', the lower end of which is permanently secured to the base-piece A', and an adjustable spring, C", is connected to the armature for retracting it in the usual manner.

Attached to the free end of the armature C is a pawl, c, having' a projecting tooth, c', which engages a ratchet or gear wheel, D' secured to the stem of the cock D and rotating therewith, and another projection, c2, on the opposite side engages withl the electrode, as hereinafter specified. Secured to the tube or neck A', underneath and engaging with the gear or ratchet wheel D', is a weighted lever or check-pawl, D", the upper end of which is provided with slots or grooves adapted to receive the teeth of the gear or ratchet wheel D' and to prevent any return movement of the same after it has been moved forward by the pawl c.

As will be seen by the drawings, the ratchet-wheel D', attached to the plug' or cock D, is provided with alternately deep and long and shallow and short teeth, for the purpose hereinafter described.

Mounted upon the collar a and insulated therefrom is a rod or electrode, E, which is shown in the present instance as passing through the collar and being secured thereto by means of a nut, e, which also forms abinding' screw or connection for the wire c5. Passing loosely through a perforation in the collar a and extending below the same is another rod, E', carrying another electrode at its tip and pivoted so as to benlovable to produce the spark, as hereinafter described. The

upper end of this rod E' is normally held against the upper end of the insulated rod or electrode E by means of a spring, c2, formed from a piece of spring' material, secured to the burner by the screw es, and a portion of this piece is bent to form a yoke or guide, el, for the rod E'. The lower end,e' ,of this movable electrode is shown as extending below the plate adjacent to the pawl o. Secured to the base piece A are the connectors or poles F F", which in this instance are shown as passing through the base-piece and serving as connectors for the circuit-wires on the under side and provided with two strips, f f', one of which is of spring material and serving as a circuit-closer.

Suitably mounted on the burner, and in this instance secured to the tube or neck A', is a IOO collar, f", to which is pivoted a lever, f", which extends across and bears upon the spring-strip f', and the outer end of the lever is provided with a pendant or chain, F

The circuit shown in the diagram has a sparking-coil, S, a battery, L, a push-button, P, a branch circuit, A2, leading from the pushbutton to the connector F, and a branch circuit, B2, around the push-button leading from the battery to the connector F. The connector F is in circuit with the coils of the magnet, and from them a conductor, e5, leads to the insulated electrode E, and from thence the circuit is completed through the burner to ground.

I have thus specifically described one embodiment of myinvention which Ihave found to be practical and simple, and it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown, as other and equivalent arrangements and constructions may be used, the essential feature being that a lighter operatingsubstantially as hereinafter set forth is produced.

As before stated, the burner may be operated either by a pendant adjacent to the burner-tip or automatically by a push-but-ton located at any desired distance from the burner. Upon pressing the push-button P the current from the battery L passes through the button and by the wire A2 to the connector F, and thence through the coils l5 of the magnet, and by the wire e5 to the electrodes E E', which are normally held in contact by the spring e2, and thence back to the battery through the gas-fixture and ground. Supposing the gas to be turned off, this closing of the circuit causes the magnet to be en' ergized and to attract the armature C, and the pawl c carried thereby operates through the projection c upon the ratchet-wheel D to rotate the plug or valve a certain distance to open the passage-way to admit the gas to the burner-tip. As the armature approaches the limit of its downward movement, the proj ection c2 of the pawl c comes in contact with the lower end, e', of the pivoted rod E carrying the movable electrode, and moves the same suiciently to break the contactbetween the electrode, producing the spark at the burnertip,which will ignite the gas. This breaking of the contact discharges the magnet and allows the retracting-spring C to act upon the armature to raise it, and as soon as it commences to move upward the spring e2 forces the movable electrode E into contact with the fixed electrode E, which immediately closes the circuit through the coils of the magnet, and the magnet is again energized and operates upon the armature and through it and its pawl to break the circuit again. These makes and breaks of the circuit are exceedingly short and rapid, and the vibrations of the armature are continued as long as the circuit is closed at the push-button, and a series of sparks will be produced at the burner without moving the cock, as the armature cannot under this operation move far enough to allow the pawl to engage the next tooth on the ratchet-wheel. When the circuit is opened by removing the pressure upon the push-button, the retracting-spring causes the armature to assume its highest position and the tooth c ot' the pawl will engage with the next tooth of the ratchet-wheel D the check-pawl D preventing t-he ratchet-wheel moving in the opposite direction, and the parts will remain in this position until the circuit is closed again to turn off the gas.

As before described, and as shown specifically in Fig. 3, the gear or ratchet wheel D is provided with alternately deep and long and shallow and short teeth, for the reason that then pawl c is only intended to operate the sparking devices when the cock is turned to permit the How of gas, and when the pawl is resting in the shallow teeth and is moved by the armature the projection c2 will come in contact with the extension e of the movable electrode and operate the same to make the spark, while, when the pawl is in the deeper teeth, the difference in the distance of the fall allows the pawl c in its downward movement to pass without striking the projection e', and thus no spark is produced when the cock is being operated to turn ott the gas.

The advantages of making the teeth alternately deep and long and shallow and short are that on the movement of the pawl c to turn the cock and to light the gas it comes in contact with the extension e before the arm has made its full stroke, whereas in the movement of turning the gas off the pawl c passes clear of the electrode-carrying rod and allows the armature to make its full stroke. This diiference in the length of the stroke of the armature necessitates the difference in the length of the teeth in order to equalize the rotation or movement of the cock D. When the burner is to be operated by the pendant, the operator simply pulls the chain, causing the lever f to press the metal strips f and f together, closing the circuit from the battery through the wire B2 around the pushbutton and through the coils and electrodes, as before, and the operation is the same as when the push-button is closed.

It will thus be seen that my gas-lighter may be operated either at the burner or from a distance, and this is particularly desirable as in the instance of hall-lamps or other places which it may be desired to operate by hand or from a distance, as from another floor of the house in which it is situated; or, for instance, instead of the push-button, the circuit may be closed automatically from the burglar-alarm or other apparatus.

It will be seen, also, that but a single impulse is necessary either from the pendant or the push-button to completely turn on, and light the gas or turn it off, and that a rapid series of sparks is automatically produced at the burner-tip when the gas is turned on and a single battery and electric circuit only are IOO IIO

used, the pendant and burner being placed in one branch and the push-button in another branch or loop of the same circuit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. An electric gas-lighter provided with a magnet and electrodes operated by the magnet having two branch circuits leading from the magnet, each including circuitfcontrolling devices, one located at the burner and the other at a distance from the burner, substantially as described.

2. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination, with a magnet, of an armature therefor and a pawl connected to the armature operating to turn the cock and break the contact at the electrodes, substantially as described.

3. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature therefor, a pawl carried thereby, a ratchet connected with the cock and operated by the pawl, and a movable electrode arranged to be stru ck by the pawl, substantially as described.

4. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature therefor, a pawl having a notch on one side engaging the ratchet to operate the cock, and a proj ect-ion upon the other side engaging the movable electrode, substantiallyT as described.

5. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature operated thereby, a pawl, and a ratchet-wheel having teeth of varying sizes operated by said pawl, substantially as described.

G. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a pivoted movable electrode, a :ratchet for moving the cock, and a pawl for operating both the pivoted electrode and cock, substantially as described.

7. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a pawl having a projection, a ratchet having' teeth of varying sizes, and a movable electrode, the arrangement being such that the electrode is operated by the projection at each alternate movement of the ratchet, substantially as described.

S. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature, a pawl carried thereby, a ratchet having teeth of varying depth, and a movable electrode operated by the pawl, the arrangement being such that the electrode is operated only when the pawl engages the shallow teeth, substantially as described.

9. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature, a pawl and ratchet having teeth of varying' lengths, and a holding-paul having a series of notches engagin g the ratchet, substantially as described.

IO. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature, a ratchet for moving the cock, a movable electrode, and a pawl arranged to move the ratchet at one impulse and to contact with the movable electrode to produce a series of sparks at the burner-tip, substantially as described.

Il. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination of a magnet, an armature, a ratchetwheel controlling the cock having teeth of different sizes, a movable electrode, and a pawl arranged to move the cock at each closure of the circuit through the magnet and to contact with the movable electrode to produce a series of sparks at each alternate closure, substantially as described.

12. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination, with a fixed electrode, of a movable electrode, a plate forming a spring, and a guide for the movable electrode, substantially as described.

IS. In an electric gas-lighter, the combination, with a magnet, of connectors connected with the circuit, plates normally out of contact extending between the connectors, and a pendent lever arranged to close the plates and complete the circuit, substantially as dcscribed.

In testimony whcrcof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH IIUF'IY LEHMAN.

\Vitnesses:

GEo. W. REED, NATHAN LANE. 

